Scott McKeon releases the SM Octave Fuzz pedal
April 12, 2022 · 1 sources
Scott McKeon released the SM Octave Fuzz, a two-in-one fuzz and octave pedal, Guitar.com reported in a review published on April 12, 2022. The review said the pedal follows the success of his original SM Fuzz and that McKeon has gone with silicon transistors here instead of the SM Fuzz's germanium1.
The right side carries volume and fuzz controls in the manner of a Fuzz Face, with an added bass-cut switch and bias control. The left side is the octave circuit, with its own volume and drive controls and a mini toggle labeled "Wonder." The two sides have independent true-bypass footswitches, the jacks are top-mounted, and the pedal can run on a battery or a standard center-negative 9V supply. The circuit board uses carbon-comp resistors and orange-drop capacitors, and the pedal is made in the UK1.
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Description | Fuzz and octave pedal, made in the UK |
| Controls | Fuzz circuit: volume, fuzz, bias, bass-cut switch; octave circuit: volume, drive, "Wonder" switch; independent bypass footswitches |
| Features | True bypass, powered by 9V supply or battery |
| Dimensions | 118 x 92 x 34mm |
991. No US list price was given.
McKeon told the review that the pedal was meant to sit alongside his earlier design:
"I wanted to do something a little different that could be used in conjunction with the SM Fuzz but also gave me some more options."
The reviewer, Ed Oleszko, described the fuzz side as "part woody Fuzz Face, part angry Tone Bender" and wrote that the bass-cut switch pushed it toward Tone Bender territory. He described the octave side as "authentic Octavia-like adventures," and said rolling off the octave side's tone internally via the Wonder switch produced an almost synth-like tone. Using both sides together, he wrote, requires careful balancing of the volume and gain controls1.